


Man on Set

by mortianna



Category: X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Implied Relationships, On Set, Platonic Relationships, X-Men: Days of Future Past References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:01:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27511207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mortianna/pseuds/mortianna
Summary: Someone has a new job. On the set of X-Men Days of Future Past. Someone has extensions and problems with them. Things happen. The someone comes from a different world. Not meaning she is an alien, though. I usually run as fast as I can from original female characters. But this is not me, I swear, at least not any more than I'm this James. Mention of other nice people, but mainly James as Charles. He nearly can read minds too. But is in full command of - everything. Yes, that.
Relationships: James McAvoy/Original Female Character(s), Jennifer Lawrence/Nicholas Hoult
Kudos: 2





	Man on Set

„Hi“. The guy had been running up and panted like a race horse. He looked around and about. She  
looked at him with raised eyebrows. Who was he now? She had thought this would be the job of her  
dreams but it was more like a nightmare. She had known it would be hard, but she hadn’t really  
listened – these weren’t the actors she knew, these were completely new ones and she was the only  
one who hadn’t the slightest … was this an extra or one of the stars?

  
He was not tall and in this gear he could be everybody – base cap, long untidy hair, muscle shirt (and  
yes, there were muscles and freckled very white skin that was flushed red from him running, workout  
shorts and trainers. He had really muscly legs, too, and the socks he must have worn before changing  
into his sports dress had left marks in his shredded calves. She found that rather endearing.

  
“Can I help you?”, she asked at last. He shook his head, took a deep sip from the water bottle  
everyone seemed to be carrying along here and after that said: “If you’re quite finished looking me  
up and down – who are you? I’ve been running but I’m late and I’m here to meet Schuyler, where the  
fuck is she?”

  
“Oh. One of those. Too big for usual folk. She breathed deeply. She could do this. Under all her 20  
useless degrees was one in behavioral psychology. She could handle difficult persons. “Schuyler has  
taken sick leave. I’m here to stand in for her. How can I help you? And excuse me, I’m new – you are,  
Sir?”

  
His eyebrows shot up. He took off his cap and his glasses and man, if these weren’t the bluest eyes  
she had ever seen she didn’t know. And then he laughed and his whole face changed from haughty  
and arrogant to – sweet, funny and endearing and the laugh sounded wonderful, too.  
“Sorry, we don’t do sir here. What’s your name? Where do you come from? I’m James. Do you have  
my plan for the day? Sorry for being so pushy but I’m sure I should be somewhere else right now and  
Hugh is gonna push me through the wall if I’m late for rehearsing with him”.

  
She looked frantically through the sheets. James, James, fuck, there was only one James and that was  
– Professor X? Him? What? Could that be? Like – that? “Awfully sorry, Sir, James, I mean, I, really  
embarrassing, here’s your plan, no, you should be cool, it’s only one – Hank? No I mean that’s his  
role’s name, so sorry, it’s Beast? Is that a real name? No. He’s…”

  
“Nick Hoult. Nicholas”, he said with a sympathetic, well she hoped so, perhaps he thought she was a  
lunatic fled from some hospital, grin. “That can’t be easy. You never have gotten into this before?  
Must be hard. How refreshing, I must say. What’s your name?”

  
“Erm”, she said. “What?”, he asked and laughed again. “I think I completely forgot just now. And I’m  
nobody, Sir, James, I’ll be away tomorrow so you don’t need to learn my name. It’s Eva, btw, I now  
remember”.

  
He looked her up really scrutinizingly and held out his hand, which was freckled, strong, surprisingly  
small. “Hi, Eva, nice to meet you. I’m James, as I said. And if you want to survive the day, try  
breathing”.

  
“I know that”, she said and was close to tears now. “I have a degree in breathing techniques. It’s only  
just …” and she showed around to the surroundings that really were surreal. James nodded. “Yes, it  
can seem quite out of the world and overwhelming. But you’ll get used to it, Ms Degree in Breathing  
Technique”. With that he nodded, waved and run into the direction he had come from. She sank to  
the floor and tried to calm her mind.

  
She survived the day, no more blunders as big as with that James guy. Someone picked her up after  
she had given away all the sheets for the day to all kinds of people and she was shown around and  
got to meet lots of more people and she had to breathe deeply, but it was all so new and exciting,  
she really loved it. She was sent around and to her own greatest surprise found everything and if not  
someone showed her the way – it really seemed like a big family. She had tears in her eyes from  
thankfulness, she was really touched and happy to be here and the people seemed to like her and  
why would they show her around if they didn’t want to have her for more than just a day?

  
Around noon, someone came to accompany and show her the way to the big central tent where the  
caterers worked all day. She queued with Sam, the guy who had greeted her in the morning and as  
she was starved – she hadn’t had a job in days and so nothing to eat – she took everything she was  
given and nearly broke down under the weight of the tray. Sam, a giant black guy with the friendliest  
eyes she had ever seen, looked at her amused and led the way to a free part of a long table where  
she could spot … oh no. That was not right. That had been so embarrassing.

  
“We’re not gonna sit at the same table with the actors, are we?” Sam looked at her perplexed. “Sure  
are. They have their work, we have ours, but we all need to eat. Come on girl, don’t be shy. Nobody  
will bite you. I hope”. And with a loud laugh he sat down exactly at that table where this James  
person was in a loud heated and funny talk surrounded by some of the best looking women on the  
planet. Jennifer Lawrence, even she knew that one. And there was this shark-like man and a really  
huge man, oh that one had been in the movie she had seen and another guy. But this James guy  
seemed to be at the centre.

She just nodded to them and looked down at her tray. Hm, might well be that she had taken more  
than she could possibly eat. “Wow”, that James jumped up and came over, “how do you think you  
can eat all that? Haven’t eaten I days, have you?” She eyed him. She had a master in psychology, she  
could do this. “Exactly”, she said and stared him down. Tried to. She wasn’t sure she could do it but  
held the gaze of these eyes, just held. And yes, he turned his away, suddenly red, and she had a  
feeling of a victory but also of him having seen her whole story in her eyes and deep within.

  
“Oh come on, girl, don’t be so earnest. There’s always some banter going on here, you have to take  
that, else you won’t stay here for long”, said that huge guy. She shrugged. “Will be gone tomorrow,  
so perhaps you can cope with my not being totally up to it”. That James – when had she begun calling  
him that and how could she stop it? – shot her a glance but said nothing, instead he fumble din his  
hair. Wuh! That was not nice. Sam looked at her, clapped her on the back that she nearly fell flat  
onto her tray face first and said: “Well, sorry, but you have to stay. Sick leave is for three weeks now.  
Hurt herself bad, she did. Only if you think you can cope with this kind of shit here, of course”.  
He sounded funny enough but it was dead serious, she knew that. She had to adapt to the rules here,  
again, she knew it. She could do it, she had adopted already to so many rules. Different, everywhere.  
Yes, she could. It was exciting and the food was delicious. What else was there to wish for? That –  
this James – would stop looking at her like that perhaps. But that was not the problem. She knew the  
script now. He played a mend reader, so perhaps he rehearsed in the breaks, too. He couldnt really  
read her mind. None of it.

“Yes, I can”, she said and that was that. Job for three weeks yay!”Well, welcome to the horde, then”,  
said James and that shark guy laughed out loud. “Yes, welcome”, said the unspectacular guy, “how  
are you with bbguns?” She looked from one to the other.”What?” Sam laid his hand upon her  
shoulder. “Don’t worry. They’re not going to hurt you. Guys, stay nice”.

  
“We are, always”, said Jennifer and blinked at her. “Don’t worry, they are harmless. Most of the  
times”. She raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I see. This is a completely new sociotype for me. I hope I can fit  
in”. “You will, you will”, James said and gave her a really evil look that somehow at the same time  
was the funniest thing she’d ever seen.

  
She laughed and the others laughed too. “Come on, girl, we got a job to do. You guys should be  
somewhere too?”, asked Sam. She got up. “No”, said Jennifer. “They keep talking and talking about  
scenes. The tech guys – it’s all rather boring”. Sam nodded. “That’s what I feared. You have signed  
this contract about the – protection, I guess”. “Sure, sure”, they all said and grinned and James even  
stood up and saluted like a good soldier. She had to grin, perhaps she could really let go in this  
environment, even a little bit.

  
“Bye then”. “Bye then”, they echoed. She felt watched as she walked with Sam to some place or  
other where they took new sheets out of the copy machine. “These are for the afternoon. Changed  
everything again, it seems. You think you can find the guys around? Know their names? Don’t get  
shot?” “I’ll try”, she said with some fear. This was so totally different from all the work she had done  
before and then again not, she had worked in a kindergarten once. Had been a disaster.

  
She looked through the sheets and sighed. Yes of course. All of them babies. That James, that shark-  
like guy whose name was Michael, Hugh and the other one, the whatever, and Jen. Wonderful. Had  
she signed something about protection? No. And she didn’t even have a gun.

  
“Na, won’t shoot you”, said James when she found him behind one of the really big wheels of a  
trailer. “You’re a civilian, we only shoot each other”. “Well thank you”, she said and made to go and  
look for the next person. She felt like in a war really, any time someone could be jumping on her and  
use her as decoy or the whatever bullets hit her even if they didn’t aim at her.

  
“You okay?”, asked James, coming after her, putting up his protective goggles into his hair and laying  
a hand casually onto her shoulder. “It may seem all a bit weirs here, but we’re the good ones, really.  
We’re only trying not to bore ourselves to death while the director and the producers and who else I  
don’t know decide what kind of film they want to make. Should have been decided before we  
started, if you ask me, but that’s how it is. That’s why we behave a bit like children”.

  
He smiled at her and yes, she could see he was the leading man alright. His smile could lighten up the  
galaxy. “I’m alright, happy to be here. It’s just – I didn’t know I would be here for so long and it’s an  
awfully long way to out here, and I don’t own a car and so – I don’t know how I can make it really”.  
“Oh”, he said, “I see” and she had a feeling he could really understand, perhaps he hadn’t been born  
with a silver spoon up his arse either. “Do you need to go home? Is there someone you have to care  
for?” She shook her head. “No, no one’s waiting, why?” She didn’t want to think of that room in that  
hostel at all, it was the best she could get for her money, but it was only slightly better than a house  
for the homeless. Which she was, more or less.

  
“No”, she said again, having the slight feeling she had already told him more than he really wanted.  
She looked up at him, he was really not much taller and he could surely hide in the masses if he  
wanted to, but once you had looked at him, seen him, really, you just couldn’t overlook him  
anymore. And his eyes now looked at her as if he understood everything. Everything she had ever  
done, would ever do, had ever been done to, would ever … oh, she was such an idiot.

  
“Why?”, she asked again, having the feeling she had asked that before and he hadn’t answered yet  
because he had watched her thinking. “We, most of us, live here during weekdays. It’s much too  
time-consuming to commute back and forth. We have our own trailers, you know, quite  
embarrassing, to keep us happy and all that, but there are quarters for staff, too. Didn’t Sam tell  
you?”

  
“No”, she said, “probably saw no reason for that”. He nodded and grabbed into his trousers, got out  
a mobile and typed something, his forehead in wrinkles, eyes narrowed. She smiled. “Do you have  
phone?”, he asked smiling as if he was making fun of himself for so strange a question. “Yes”, she  
said, “don’t have it on me though”. No, she didn’t run around all the time with this thing, thank you  
very much. He nodded. “Know your number?” “Yes, of course”, she said, she had a degree, oh sod it,  
yes, she knew her number. And gave it to him.

  
He nodded again, typed something and put the mobile back into his shorts. “Done. Call you later.  
Don’t you have to give more sheets to the people?” He grinned. She looked taken aback at first, then  
grinned, too. “Yes, thanks”. He made a gesture with his hand. “Don’t mention it. Hope they have  
room, but this place is so huge and crowded, there’ll be a place somewhere”. She raised her eyebrow  
but went away quickly. Hm. Nothing would come of it, never did in her life. But nice of him anyways.  
No call, no message. She had known it. He had only played the big generous sponsor. What for?  
Because he could? Did? She didn’t want to ask Sam about it, not now that James had said he would  
do something. She was too proud for that, then she would go the three hours back and forth by bus  
each day, she could do this. Or sleep somewhere in the open No rather not, this was a job, they  
shouldn’t know her for the homeless person she was. With the money she earned here she could live  
the whole year. Carefully, frugally, but she could.

  
Sam said: “Bye, see you tomorrow” and she left the area. Tried to. It was huge. There were even  
buses going through it. And there was a supermarket where she could have bought anything she  
needed had she stayed here. But she wouldn’t, she would try to catch the next bus back to town. No  
idea. Yes. She felt a bit lost. Perhaps she shouldn’t have taken this job at all, it was just too much in  
every way. Too many people, too much noise, too long way, too much time to get here.

  
“Here you are”, said a voice. She turned around, not trusting her ears. It was James. He must have  
run, again, his face was flushed and sweaty, and his shoulders, too, the shirt dark from sweat.  
“Workout?”, she asked. He raised his eyebrows. “You could say so. Was running around looking for  
that place they told me was there for people who wanted to stay here”.

  
“What?”, she asked completely irritated. She didn’t believe a word. “Why would you do such a thing?  
You’re kidding me”. He looked at her as if he had never seen such an interesting specimen of animal  
before. “Wow”, he said after quite a pause, “you really trust people a lot, don’t you?” “No I don’t.  
And for good reasons”, she shot back. He nodded. “Aha. And? Makes you really happy, that outlook  
on life? Cheery and all that?” “It helps me survive”, she said and then she sat down. No need to run  
for the bus now, it was gone.

  
He sat down beside her. It couldn’t be now, could it, that he was one of the stars of the movie, sitting  
with her on this dirty street at the outskirts of this huge temporary town built in the California desert  
just to make a – movie? While other people lived in the streets and nobody cared shit about them?  
Yes she had good reasons to be like she was but he was quite right, too – it didn’t make her a nice  
person or a happy one.

  
“Sorry”, she said after some time. “No, I’m not used to be cared about. Or for. I didn’t imagine that  
would change here. And I don’t understand why you would do that. I mean…” She knew exactly what  
she meant but she wouldn’t quite say it. Instead she showed with her hand over the unbelievably big  
area where he belonged and then back to herself “Hm”. He had looked at her intently. “Okay, if pure  
human care scares the shit out of you – I’ll tell you the truth”. “Yes?”, she said. Every time someone  
had told her that they had exactly not done that.

  
“I’m bored to death here”, he said with a dramatic gesture around the area. “We’re not shooting,  
we’re preparing, we are all here together, we get on each other’s nerves, we get new plans every  
day, but nothing really happens. I’m afraid this job will keep you much longer than you expected”.  
“Ah”, she said, “that’s not really a bad thing for me. I don’t have exactly much to get back to”. He  
nodded not as if she had just told him something new, more like he understood and had known  
before. “And I know how long and tiresome the way back and forth is. We did that at the beginning.  
And I was taken by a driver. Can’t imagine how bad it is by bus”. “Which is gone for the day”. He  
looked at his fancy digital watch. “Which is gone yes, as is unfortunately the last free space in the  
staff quarters”.

  
“Oh”, she said, her heart sinking, her brain busy looking for alternatives. “I might just sleep under  
some roof here somewhere … I … have done that before”. That was perhaps the hardest sentence  
she had ever said. He nodded slowly and as if this wasn’t new to him, too, and for a moment it  
looked as if he’d do something embarrassing like lay his hand on her shoulder but instead he hit her  
on the arm and said: “Nooo. Can’t have that. How would that look? These trailers they give us are  
ridiculously luxurious anyhow. You can sleep in mine and I go over to Michael. Or Nick. I think they  
shouldn’t be … occupied. I could even go to Hugh, but that rather scares me. He could do  
unspeakable things to me when we’re alone, as a revenge. I rather deserve it”.

  
She had to laugh but that was of course unimaginable. Or was it? If he was so big- and open-hearted  
could she decline the offer? That would be really ungrateful, wouldn’t it? “I have a feeling I can’t say  
no to that”, she said, “even if I think I should”. He laughed and clapped her on the shoulder. “Listen  
to your heart, baby, always listen to your heart. Okay, let’s go. Supermarket is open, do you need  
anything? We could go there and then I show you my trailer. It’s on the way”.

  
He jumped up and held his hand out to help her up, too. After one or two moments of hesitation she  
took it and got up. “Yes, I could use something if I stay here. And – thank you?! I still don’t believe it.  
And –don’t you want to spend your free time with your friends?” He shrugged. “Told you we’ve been  
locked here together for much too long already. Refreshing really to meet someone from the outside  
world. Is it still standing anyhow?” “Last time I looked, yes”, she said and they started moving in  
unison, back to where she had come from. “In all its glory”. “Ah”, he said and looked at her sideways  
but didn’t say a word – he understood enough of her situation already to not ask any further, she  
thought. And it was a Christian act of humanity. Yes. That. Only that. Here. Nothing more.

  
He was a bit in front of her and she caught herself watching the play of his shoulder muscles. She  
wasn’t that much of a Christian. She collected some stuff in the supermarket, they had everything  
you could possibly want and more, and something to eat and drink. She didn’t know if the catering  
zone was still open, she felt like in a foreign country and didn’t want to intrude too much on James  
who seemed happy enough, bought some stuff himself, like a bottle of wine and hair gel she was  
sure he didn’t need but he made to be first ant the counter and paid for all of it, sparing her the  
embarrassment to wonder if her card worked again, which it couldn’t, because she had only been  
here one day and the payment was only due whenever, now that she would be here for longer – had  
she been here only for the day she would have gotten the money in cash. Oh, the glory of being poor  
in America, she still hadn’t got used to it, she remembered other times, but…This was here and now  
and she took a deep breath and said “thank you”, her throat constricting and he said. “don’t mention  
it” with a gesture saying “pah”. She sighed. That guy was so easy to love. Or hate. Or – whatever. But  
he was only just being friendly and trying to not get bored. Yes, she had to remind herself of that.  
They came to his trailer. “Holy shit”, she said. “I know”, he said, “it’s really embarrassing. A family of  
five could live in that. And each of us has one, well getting smaller for the – well, smaller roles, but…”

  
“Capitalism at its best”, she said. He nodded. “Or its worst. Yes. But it enables me to share which is a  
good thing. Look –there is a huge bed much too small for me alone…” He laughed at her face. “Only  
joking, you should see your face, but yes, I could sleep there with my whole family, only that …it isn’t  
here”. That didn’t sound as if that what he said was what he had wanted to say.

  
“And then there, on the other side of the trailer, over the table and benches and all that, there is  
even another bed nobody uses – ever. It’s a disgrace, spending so much money and room on only  
one person. I’m gonna sleep in one of these in one of the other guys’ trailers”. “Eh”, she said, “that is  
really … just too nice. And do you think … I mean … is it that you are afraid of your  
whatever…reputation? I mean … you could sleep over there and I here and I wouldn’t disturb you  
much I hope … I just think … I don’t want to be any more of a nuisance than I have to be just because  
you are so friendly and …”.

  
He looked at her and laughed. “My … reputation? Well, let’s just not go there, will you? Yes, may be  
easier and more comfortable if I can stay here if I don’t disturb you but…” “What?”, she asked  
although she had a feeling she wouldn’t like what he wanted to say and he decided not to say it.  
Now.  
He shrugged. “Anyhow, be that as it may, we can talk about that later or see how that develops. I  
mean, if I fall asleep at the table, which might well happen, it is decided, isn’t it?” He smiled at her,  
sweat dripping from his forehead now in this cooled down environment. She nodded. Sure. That  
could be done. “But first I have to take a shower. Am dying here. Or do you want?” “No”, she said  
urgently, “by all means, do as if I wasn’t here. It’s okay, I can go later”.

  
He laughed. “Well, not quite. Will undress in the shower. Could you perhaps heat the stuff we bought  
for food? And I’ll gonna make the salad when I’m finished showering. And you go. Sounds like a  
plan?” “Sounds like a plan”, she agreed, “but wouldn’t you rather…?” “No”, he said and opened a  
door she hadn’t realized was there, “I wouldn’t rather. I usually do what I want to. So don’t worry  
about that, will you?”.

  
“Okay”, she said and turned around to look for anything that looked like an oven. Okay, she could do  
this – not. So she sat down on the bench – this was all so luxurious, she could have puked. Or really –  
she moved her fingers over the fabric of the bench - and that’s how he found her. His hair was wet  
and looked even stranger than before. He was wearing – a towel around the waist? She raised an  
eyebrow – not that it was a bad sight, rather not, but wasn’t he, or was he – just like someone inside  
her was screaming all the time – coming to cash in the debts? But why? He might have had anyone.  
Just because she was here?

  
“Sorry bout that”, he gestured to the towel. “Forgot to take new clothes with me. I usually don’t. Got  
the oven going?” “No”, she said, “sorry”. “No problem”, he said, adjusting the towel, “had to learn  
myself the hard way”. He fumbled at something she’d never have thought could be a cooking device  
and nearly lost it. The towel.

  
“Sorry”, he laughed helplessly, “didn’t think about that. I’m simply not used to having people here  
who don’t know me naked”. “Ah”, was all she had to say to that. He broke out laughing. “As always  
I’m just making it worse. See you when I’m adequately dressed. Take these abominable pizzas or  
would that be pizzae out of their foil, will you? Thanks”. With that he walked away, grabbing into a  
drawer she wouldn’t have realized was there also and took some clothes with him into the bath. The  
moment he opened the door the towel fell down. “Oops, sorry bout that”, she heard through the  
door. “No worries”, she said, “I’ve seen asses before. Even that one looks faintly familiar”.

  
“Wot?” She didn’t know why she had said that. Seemed true though. “Said you didn’t see me before,  
did you?” “No”, she said looking at him who came now out of the bath in a very thin sweatpant and a  
slim fitting jacket wearing the towel on his head as a turban now. She looked at him irritatedly. “And  
I saw that before, too. In a video?” “Ah”, he said and grinned, “I’m the man of the thousand faces,  
mystery man and – is this oven hot enough now that we can put the what they call pizza in?”

  
“Why did you buy them if you think they’re dreadful?”, she asked. He shrugged. “I’m lazy?” Then he  
scratched his head under the turban. “Fuck, this itches and wooh I can’t stand it”. “Lice?”, she asked,  
“thought the hair looked funny”. He hit her on the arm. “haha, thanks a lot. No, extensions. Fucking  
expensive they said. But if you say it looks funny it’ll look funny on screen too. Just wonderful. Okay,  
let’s put the fucking thingies into the oven – if they are as terrible as the look, we can order  
something, okay? Sit down. Wine?”

  
This sure wasn’t a good idea but she sat down and had the wine. She hadn’t had the money left to  
buy some in ages so she sat down and watched him working his magic with the food –he had a fridge  
and prepared the salad all the time singing and dancing to his own tune – she was at first taken aback  
and thought he was showing off but then thought that it was just him, having the most possible fun  
in every situation. He prepared everything, took a deep sip out of his glass – well, to be true, they  
both had to refill their glasses when the food was on the table, he had laid dried tomatoes and fresh  
mozzarella on the convenience pizza and the salad looked great.

  
“Cincin”, he said, as he had sat down on the other side of the table, “I pride myself to be a decent  
cook. So eat”. And he eyed her suspiciously and when she had the first bite of pizza in her mouth he  
said: “So you think you know my arse already from somewhere?” She nearly choked. He jumped up  
again and hit her on the back, hard. She coughed. “You are a dangerous man”. “Yes”, he said with  
relish and then rather sheepishly, “Sorry. I thought it was a great joke. Didn’t want to kill you  
though”.

  
“Didn’t”, she said and coughed a last time and he began to laugh, “great timing though”. “Yes”, said  
he and laughed, too, hi whole face contorting, she watched mesmerized. “Oh”, he said suddenly,  
“still got this on. This will make it so much easier with this shit stuff”. He put down the turban which  
she found a bit off at the dinner table but she started laughing as soon as it came off.

  
“That bad?”, he asked. “Well”, she shrugged, “if you’re supposed to look like you just had you hand  
in the plug socket it’s good. Otherwise…” “Oh fuck this”, he said and went to the bath, kicking the  
towel on the way. She followed him – what had become of the shower anyway – well could do that  
later when he was gone and perhaps she could be of help. She owed him that much at least, she  
thought.

  
He was looking at himself in the mirror angrily, she took a quick look around – small but well staffed  
– she had never had such a nice bath in her life. “Can I help you?”, she asked, “do you have a comb  
with really wide teeth? Why did you have to get these anyhow, it looked like – wool before”. “Well,  
thanks a lot”, he was really angry now and that was quite frightful. “I’m such an idiot. Thought I’d be  
the smart one and shaved my head before coming here, turned out they didn’t want the Professor  
bald but rather looking … yeah, quite as if he might have lice”.

  
“Worked. See. There’s one. Do you put anything in there to make it easier to get through? He looked  
at her in the mirror and laughed. “No, not normally, it works out just fine without that, thanks”. She  
just shook her head. She had had one semester of Scottish too, and yes, it seemed there was a  
reason every other word was about sex or being drunk or both. Insinuation seemed to be his first  
hobby. “Okay, then it’ll have to do like that. Don’t blame the hurt on me then”. “I’m not usually the  
one to…ouch”. She shrugged. “You wanted it the hard way”.

  
He stopped her hand with the comb. “Hei, it’s usually my job to make that kind of jokes”. “Well, I’m  
sorry, not sorry. I’m not usually the one to do that but with you it comes quite naturally and I have to  
pay you back for all that you did to me, haven’t I?” She never knew why she said that but she did.  
And they looked at each other in the mirror without saying a word for quite some time while the air  
around them was laden with thunder and lightning. Then suddenly a bullet hit her in the back.  
“Ouch”, she said and put her hand to it. James jumped up and was out of the door in a second. “Hei, I  
was out today. Come here, show your face you coward. Nick, that you? Michael? Great shot, but you  
didn’t hit me, asshole”.

  
She sighed. Okay, there was real life again, his real life and that was good. One moment longer and  
she could just about have begun to imagine – stuff. And that was totally out of the question. He  
didn’t seem to come back anytime soon and so she closed the door and went into the shower  
cubicle. It felt just too wonderful for words after the long day. She washed off all the sweat, the fears  
and every thought in any direction she might have had. The showergel smelled really nice of  
sandalwood and something else. She found a lot of towels in a drawer, took one rather large one and  
wrapped it around herself and a smaller one around her hair. The luxury of it. Now a nice glass of  
wine with it, another one, and that would just make up for so many lost years. She hadn’t had that  
kind of luxury, clean towels and the secure space and time to sit around in it in years. What she  
didn’t have was clean clothes, she just hadn’t thought of it or perhaps thought she’d wash her  
underwear and Tee in the sink before going to sleep but in that scenario she had been alone. She was  
now but not sure if he didn’t come back. Which would be – good. Either way.

  
She sat down on her place again, poured herself another glass of wine and ate a piece of the cold  
pizza. It was so good to be here alone and she was so thankful for it and then in comparison to being  
with him, it was quite boring. “Hei there, I’m sorry, oops”. There he was again and someone was  
following him but it didn’t look like he wanted that. James that was.

  
“Oh hello, I knew there was something, someone when he said he wasn’t up to … well never mind.  
Nice to meet you. I must say that was quick. Even for you”.

  
It was the shark-like guy and the two of them were too much for her right now. “Fuck off, Michael,  
will you? Now is not the time to…” “Oh is it not?” All teeth showing but James stood his ground his  
hair standing up in all directions. “Okay, I leave then. Have a nice – whatever”. Both men grinned  
now and hugged. Then the big man was gone. She was totally flabbergasted and felt really uneasy.  
“I’m sorry that I sit here like that, I don’t have fresh clothes and - what did he mean by that? I’d  
rather leave now. Can you get me a cab?” “Don’t be silly”, he said and she would have thrown  
something if her towel hadn’t been quite difficult to cling to already. “That would cost your whole  
salary. That was just – Michael being Michael. Angry, cause usually we have fun in the evenings. Well  
that was my night then. Can’t be changed- Will have to try Nick. Though it seems he and Jen … Hm.  
Here – try those. Nice as that looks, it’s rather uncomfortable trying to stop them from falling down.  
Had that before”.

  
He threw her another sweatpants, thicker and wider than those thingies he was wearing and a  
sweater. “Erm okay, thank you”. She took the stuff into the bath and changed into them. No  
underwear. Couldn’t be helped.

  
“Spectacular”, he said as she came out. She threw the wet towel at him. “Haha”. “I mean it”. “Of  
course”. “What did you mean by paying me back?”, he asked, sitting now at “her” place, folding the  
wet towel, her towel, in his hands, back and forth. She sighed. And sat down next to him. No use to  
have the table in between when there was enough or no room in between them.

  
“It was a joke”. “Yes I know”, he said and for the first time his brains and quick wit struck her. He  
knew and he wouldn’t let her out only because it might get uncomfortable for either of them. “But  
not only a joke. Or was it?” She sighed and grabbed into her hair under the towel, trying to loosen it  
to let it dry faster, otherwise she would awake with hair looking much like his.

  
He took her hand and held it. “Hei, don’t try to wiggle out of this now. I think that’s important. If you  
think what I mean you think I’ll be really angry”. “Then why should I tell you?” “Hm, good point. So  
you really thought that?” Struck me, yes. See, I always had to pay in one way or other. It’s just  
normal. Not that I would … I mean… Wouldn’t. And I don’t think you ... but yes, that’s part of my  
unconscious, my DNA even”.

  
“My my, mighty educated, are we? But doesn’t seem that helps you through the night?” He didn’t  
say that as if wanting to hurt her, more like wanting to know, or wanting to know her better,  
knowing how her brain worked. She snorted. “Not even through the days. I had a lot of education but  
then … I got lost a bit somewhere on the way and now … this is my first job in months and I don’t  
really have a place to live so I’m much too dependent on this and totally thankful and totally …”  
“Angry”, he said very quietly.

  
She nodded and rubbed her eyes violently. But it was too late. The tears started pouring down. It was  
all just a bit too much really. “Hei”, he said and put his arms around her and pulled her close as if it  
was the most natural thing in the world. Which was exactly how it felt. “Everything okay. Just let it  
out. You’re safe here”. That of course made her cry even more. It felt very relieving, she had trained  
herself not to cry as a teenager, but quite embarrassing, too, what was it with this man that she felt  
she could do this? Or other things?

  
“If you don’t take off that towel your hair will look like mine”, he said after some time of holding her  
and stroking her shoulders, after she had cried so much she thought she had no fluid left inside  
anymore. She laughed, put down the towel and dried her tears with it.

  
“Hi James”, she heard someone, “can you spare a bottle of your famous wine, Jen is coming over  
and…oops, sorry”. James sighed. “Holy shit, there’s a door, you know. You can knock on it”. The big  
young man with the blue eyes grinned. “Didn’t know you have secrets”. “I don’t”, said James, “it’s  
just oh, fuck me, just get yourself what you want. Do you have …you know?” “Yes daddy, thanks a  
lot. I only need the wine”. “There’s a supermarket her, just saying”, said James, watching Nick  
plundering a cupboard hidden behind some fancy metal door. “Yes”, said Nick, completely  
unfathomed, “but your stuff is so much better, man”.

  
“Well, thank you”, said James. She just sat there and got an impression of his normal life. Wasn’t so  
different from hers, only well, totally. “Thank you man, I owe you. Have a nice evening”. “Yeah, fuck  
off and well, don’t do anything I wouldn’t. You were there before”. “Yeah man, thanks a lot. Look  
after yourself. A nice evening to you two, too”. He laughed about the similar sounding words. They  
waited until the door was closed – why didn’t he lock it so nobody could enter? Why would she want  
that? And he was perhaps just too considerate and didn’t want to close her in here with him, feeling  
trapped. Or he didn’t even think about it. Why did she?

  
“Where were we?”, asked James raising an eyebrow and scratching his beard. She found that rather  
endearing – arrogance and insecurity at the same time. “I was crying”. “No you had stopped”.  
“Right”. Right”. “Wanted to tell me what that shark-like man meant with you being fast even for  
you?” He looked down making a face. “You heard that?” “Aye”. He smiled at her use of his native  
tongue. “And didn’t forget it?” “No”. He sighed. Deeply.

  
“Well, I might have said something of the kind that I found you quite – attractive – even if I didn’t  
want to”. “Oh”, she said, “you didn’t want to? Why? And thank you”. He grinned a bit and fidgeted  
on the bench, scratching his beard. “Well, I just left a relationship, marriage which lasted my whole  
grown-up life and I feel rather torn and twisted and unreal and not ready for anything and well up to  
something at the same time and I really usually don’t … get into anything on set. At work”.

  
“Hm”, she said looked into another direction to hide a smile and make up her mind around all that.  
“So you think – and shark guy too – that finding someone attractive means you have to do –  
something - with them?” He fidgeted around some more, scratching his rib cage now. “Don’t have to,  
want more like?! And really - scared as shit”. She nodded. “Aha, that is understandable”. She just sat  
there. Thought. He couldn’t wait it seemed. “And?” “And what?” He rolled his eyes. “What say you?”  
She turned her face in his direction. “I say if you think there has to be done something about –  
attraction – then, well, I’m in”. Something in his eyes lit up. “Aha, that is really nice to hear. I’m quite  
good at overcoming my fears you know”. “I’m sure you are good at many things. Especially at …  
talking”. Now his eyes looked positively dangerous and when she just blinked, once, he was suddenly  
really really close. She gulped. He smiled. And grabbed her arms, turning her smoothly into his  
direction.

  
She tried to hold his gaze – as hard to look at him as to look away. He was so close, his beard tickled  
her. He pulled her closer still with one hand now in her hair. He half-closed his eyes and looking onto  
her lips opened his. She smiled and closed the gap between their mouths, felt these soft luscious lips  
on hers and closed her eyes, much too close now to see anything anyhow, into his eyes, she opened  
her lips under his after the first touch and he made a wonderful sound between needy and relieved  
and she moved into him even more, he pulled her closer still, and his tongue licked over her lips and  
asked for permission to enter. She moaned as she already felt a jolt through her body, from the  
touch of his tongue alone and let her tongue meet his.

  
Then everything couldn’t go fast enough, deep enough, close enough. They grabbed each other and  
while kissing tried to lie down on the holstered but narrow leather bench, he lay down on his back  
and pulled her onto him, kissing, caressing, touching her everywhere, she tried to hold on, cling to  
him, not let go of his mouth, have as much body contact as possible and at the same time let her  
hands roam everywhere they wanted. He held her on him with one hand on the small of her back,  
over her behind, the other was already running under her, his sweater, at her waist, moving up  
slowly, caressing, leaving a hot needy path of want. She moaned and moved and tried to hold herself  
up on him and let her hand go into this ridiculous jacket of his, well, everywhere really, she wanted  
to touch him everywhere, but this was just – frustrating.

  
“Wait”, he said, his mouth curled as if grinning, his eyes bearing into her, his arms holding her up –  
“without presuming anything…” She started to laugh. “Given our – state – you might as well presume  
something”. He smiled and kissed her shortly. “This is all totally bold and exciting but rather –  
frustrating? I have a very fine bed over there”. He showed to the other side of the trailer. “Nooo”,  
she shook her head, “too far away”. He giggled and pressed her onto him even more, one hand at  
her head, the other on her naked skin and when they were as close as could possibly be with their  
clothes on, he stopped the giggling and inhaled sharply.

  
“Accepted, then – just get off of me for a second”. “No”, she said. And smiled. He smiled and sighed,  
then, after a moment’s silence grabbed her by both arms and jumped up from the bench in a full  
body movement, bringing her up with him, too, she felt catapulted onto the floor and came to lie  
there, him on top of her. Her hands touched the floor, she hadn’t yet noticed, it was a rather  
comfortable carpet in this part.

  
“Wow”, she said, “That was impressive”. He moved his lips, looking down on her with eyes in which  
amusement fought with something else. “I can do many impressive things”, he said, “adjusting  
himself on top of her, his hands close to her head, “And my body has amazing parts, too. What was it  
you said about my arse?” She grinned and brought up her hands to lay them on said body part very  
lightly. Well, she meant to do so but when she felt the tight and firm buttocks under the thin fabric of  
the trousers, she simply had to caress them.

  
He closed his eyes and let himself down onto his elbows and onto her. “You heard that, did you?”,  
she whispered into his ear and didn’t quite recognize her own voice. “Aye”, he drew a line of small  
kisses from her ear down her neck to her collarbone. “And you didn’t forget”. “No”, she felt him grin  
at her chin and grabbed his behind tighter, pressing him into her as far as it went. “I was not always  
near homeless”, she said and let the feeling of that revelation wash through her, to be done with it,  
there were other and more rewarding feelings to be had here, “and I just might have owned a  
collection of films once in which your – arse –or other body parts might have played quite a part.  
Which was not my fault really. I mean, why do you have to do that – ouch”.

  
He had just bitten into her throat, just a little bit, then looked into her eyes, deeply and darkly. “So  
you – knew me?” It was not really a question. She nodded nervously. Yes, that hadn’t been quite  
totally correct and on the totally good side of, well – correct? True. “I didn’t at the beginning. This –  
hair?” He nodded and while lying on her, pressing into her that she clearly noticed his –interest,  
although it seemed to be dwindling due to the conversation, she knew this could go totally pear-  
shaped now.

  
“My eyesight is rather – not so good. And I really didn’t know which part you were playing. I only  
know the old films. I mean – the professor? Come on – isn’t that just a bit – against character?” He  
still looked at her in a menacing way but she felt him relax. Well, parts of him, not everything. “So  
you are a tricky little liar with bad eyesight who had earlier knowledge of my arse and was nearly  
homeless before she got here with an education as high as mount…” She didn’t get the name of that  
hill, perhaps it was Scottish, never heard of it here in America – “is that about right?”

  
She nodded, as good as that went lying on the floor with him on top of her. “And is that all now I  
need to know?” She cocked an eyebrow. “Well if you think you need to know more you should just  
go on with finding out yourself, shouldn’t you?” She never knew where she took the guts to say that  
from, but she did and she had always had moments of pure cheek when there was nothing left to  
lose, and with him she had a feeling it was either that – or die.

  
He nodded, still looking sternly, but then, coming down onto her mouth with his, completely  
unforeseeable, grinned and closed his eyes. “Oh, I will, I will”. And that he did. Thoroughly. The kiss  
was the deepest yet, his tongue invaded her mouth, she moaned and didn’t really know what to do  
first –grab his shoulders, stroke his back, touch his behind, no open this ridiculous jacket of his. He  
moved up and away to make it easier for her to open the zipper and the moment she had it opened  
shook it away and off of him like a bugging insect. She looked at his chest, well couldn’t help it, he  
held it up as if for her to admire it, which she did, she hadn’t expected this load of muscles even after  
having seen him in the muscle shirt, she had nearly forgotten, he looked rather skinny in clothes.

  
She let her fingertips roam over his torso, he closed his eyes relishing it and opened them again, with  
a predatory glint in them and his hands were at the rim of the sweat she was wearing and pulled it  
off over her head, she helped him. Now he looked at her and his hands followed his eyes. She closed  
hers again and just felt, his fingers, hands travelling from her collarbone to her breasts, but that  
wasn’t enough, not nearly, his hands just touched her there on their way down and she was bound to  
go there with her hands too, and open her eyes, because the sight of him heightened the feelings  
and yes, they had been going for so long now, it seemed, there was no time for anything elaborately  
thought our as foreplay, teasing and relishing in the reactions of the other.

  
“Please, I...”, he moaned into her ear, and she nodded, eagerly, yes she, too, was all for getting on  
with it, and further, deeper, down and inside and she just had to lick his nipples before, his chest, his  
navel and he groaned loudly and before she could acquaint herself with what she clearly saw down  
there while licking his navel, he pulled her up again, breathlessly, panting, saying: “I’m sorry” in  
nearly no voice and pulled her onto him again and into another deep kiss and she moaned and while  
kissing, his tongue fucking her mouth, her throat, he pulled down the trousers she was wearing and  
she just trampled them off and then, with eager hands, one of his, one of her, did the same with his,  
and both groaned again, and she could just get her hand on him, there, for the shortest torturous  
moment, while his fingers were there, too, at her, on her, in her, and that was already nearly too  
much, and she hissed into his ear, and he murmured, desperately: “Not now, please. I have to be in  
you. Now. Okay?”

  
And he looked into her eyes, his pupils dilated with lust, nearly completely black and she nodded,  
starting another kiss, murmuring into his open mouth: “Yes. Do it. Now” and their fingers met, down  
there, and he stopped the kiss, looking into her eyes again, questioningly and as an answer she just  
moved her hips into him, he made a sweet stuttering sound and moved his hips too, holding hers,  
and then yes, they both stopped for a moment and – enjoyed the feeling of connection and it was  
totally clear that this wasn’t going to last long, she started to move and looked into his face, he bit his  
lip as if concentrating, then he relaxed as if that might help, and smiled, but she felt him twitch inside  
her and bit her lip herself and then she fell onto, into his mouth again and moved her hips up and  
down on him , he gliding in and out of her, his hands moved from her hips to her buttocks, and he  
whispered, desperately: “So good … so close … are you? … then please … come … I can’t … much  
longer … sorry”.

  
She groaned. The feeling of him inside her, his strong hands kneading her behind, his shoulders  
under her hands and the sight of his face concentration so hard to not let go, not too early, holding  
himself back to take her with him over the edge – all together were completely enough for her to just  
do that. “Let go”, she whispered into his ear, “let go. It’s alright”. Only then did he answer her  
movement with his own, with hard, urgent, deep thrusts that hit her every time while looking into  
her eyes and yes, she was nearly there, there, quite unawares that she was hit, and closed her eyes  
and moaned and he grabbed her even closer and held her head to his now, moaning into her neck,  
loudly, desperately, and thrust some more and she came again and again and then felt him going  
rigid and twitch inside and come, wet and warm, and collapsed onto him with a deep loud sigh from  
the belly which he echoed.

“Phew”, he said, shaking his head as if he had just remembered he had one or noticed the hair that  
stood on end even more now. “That was quite something”. She sighed and rolled off of him, into his  
arms on the floor and he pulled her close again, for a cuddle, her head on his shoulder and he  
stroked her shoulder tenderly until both their breaths had gone a bit more quiet. She shivered.  
“Cold?”, he asked and grabbed for their clothes, any clothes, but didn’t succeed. “Could I now make  
you take interest in the bed I talked about earlier?” he hugged her tight, to warm her, she supposed,  
it did the job rather well. “Yes”, she said wholeheartedly, “where is it? We could have been there  
ages ago. Instead I do have to cope with this carpet”. “Ey”, he said and swung her around, “it was you  
who was so eager she couldn’t wait”. “Quite right”, she admitted and grinned a bit. “Plus I am the  
poor sod on the ground getting his sensitive skin rubbed off by a - erm - carpet”.

She had shot him a warning glance, not quite sure what he had wanted to say. She got up from the  
floor rather fluently and grabbed his hand. “Then let’s go. Where is this famous bed? And as you are  
such a spoilt brat, you can be up next time. Just saying. If there’ll be a next time, like ever. Not  
meaning now, of course, I would never pre…oops”.

  
There he was, enfolding her in his big arms, his whole body pressed to hers again and she raised an  
eyebrow in mild interest. Played mild interest. “Aha? Can I? How really - generous – of you”. “It’s in  
my nature”, she said, “that’s what I am. Generous. Look where it brought me”. “Yes”, he murmured  
into her neck, “look where it brought you”, lifting her up and carrying her. She had his arms around  
his neck and they started kissing again the moment he had her up.

They made it to the bed this time. Just so.

The end?

**Author's Note:**

> I blame it on too many viewing of the dvd extras. Every single one. Inspiration to this was the pic with James and Hugh standing in front of someone with paper. James looks as described. hach!


End file.
